The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-08-11
MILLS SOUNDING THE WARN.
ING.
The Democratic Party Must be on
the Constant Watch.

| congressman MllS, at COrSlcana, las
Saturday night, upon the occasion of thu
anti jubilee there, delivered a masterl,
Grafton, the following synopsis of which
Is reprinted, as it should be kept by ever,
democrat as a piece of household furni
ture, very valuable and its intrinsic wortl
on the constant increase. He spoke a.
follows:
"The battle has been fought and won
but the enemy is still within the boundarie,
of our territory, and has served notice OF
US that ne promises to remain, reorganize
his forces and thrust his gage of battle al
our feet again. We have been informed
that the conflict is not to cease till prohi
bition tramples individual liberty under
its feet and the government is given
supreme control over all the personal
concerns of the people. While we
rejoice tonight let US not put off
our armor. We have only scotched the
snake. We have not killed it. From this
moment We must re. enlist for the war and
give our enemy to understand that we are
ready to move on his works at moments
notice. Let me say to you tonight that
the enemy is preparing diversion for us
which he hopes will turn our attention
from him while he prepares his inquiry
and recruits his scattered forces for
another trial of strength. Hitherto he
has had all the advantages in selecting his
grounds and the manner in which the con-
tlict was TO be fought out He chose to
call 1t moral, non political, non partisan
question. He demanded of the legisla-
ture that the contest should be had in an off
year, when the parties were asleep. The de.
mard was granted. With these advantages
they have appealed to democrats for their
support on the ground that prohibition
was democratic, and they have induced
many democrats to join their ranks, They
appealed to the republicans to join them
as the best mode of breaking up the dem
ocratic party. They have told the colored
voters that the leading anti-prohibitlon-
lists are the men who fought to keep them
IN slavery, with Jefferson Davis at their
head. They boosted that they had nine
teen-twentiehs of the women, ninety nine
hundredths of the best elements of society,
such as Senator Reagan, ex Senator
Maxey, Mr.. Culberson, Mr.. Herndon,
Bishop Turner, Web Flanagan and Still
we'll II. Russell, while the opposition was
made up of saloon srump-speakers, beer
guzzlers, foreigners, negroes and demo-
Gratis; that our speakers were hired and
our vote debauched by money contrib.
uted by the whisky ring. Thanks to the
good sense of the people, thanks to their
steadfast faith in their own capacity for
self-government, thanks to their mistaken
devotion to the principles of free govern
ment, we have triumphed and won vic
tory that covers the faces of our enemies
with confusion and shame.
Now from this honr we must begin our
to make onr triumph final
and complete. The point of attack now
is the democratic state convention. They |
tried to commit the democratic party of |
Texas to prohibition in the state conven-
ton last year. A resolution was offered in |
the committee on platform declaring pro-
nibition to be democratic. 1t was voted
1own. Then resolution was adopted |
that any PERSONS views on local option
should not be test of democracy, but as
soon as that convention was adjourned
var was declared and waged against every
)he whose views were expressed against
ocal option, while those who favored
ocal option continued to advocate and
lrge it on the people.
Mr.. Carroll and his political associates
n this congressional district, while advo
Eating local option and prohibition, left
10 effort untried to defeat me for con-
,ress, and, claiming to be good democrats,
etused to vote for the nominee of the
democratic parry, and voted and worked
or republican. Nine tenths of the
in this district refused to
Import the democratic nominee for con
ress, and during this campaign they have
oasted that they would not only defeat 4
ne, but every man in the state who act
Vely opposed prohibition. They now Say
hey intend to 90 into our primaries and
ontrol them, and send prohibitionists to
ne state convention, and nominate pro r
ibltionists for state, district and county ,
tfices. In short, they intend, if they can,
capture the democratic party and
lake it prohibition party, and the /
Iethod OF doing it is to cry out against l
arty lines until they get in power, and !
len draw them around the necks of every
IAN who has opposed prohibition.
Fellow citizens, the democratic party !
as always been the liberty party. 1t has
ways been the guardian and defender of
le rights of the citizens against the en- !
of the government. 1t has
ways opposed paternalism In all its
'rms. II has always opposed the officious G
ltermingling of the government with the s
Idividual rights of the citizen. Prohibi- I
on is palpable violation of every demo- t
attic principle, and the democratic party
ill be recreant to its duty if it fails to c
rand the impostor, drive it out of the q
arty, and make war on it until its adj I
erents are driven from the field. q
Then say to you, fellow democrats, Or 9
anize your forces; begin at once to per- L
'ct your organization in every county I
nd precinct in the state; see that demo- |
attic voters attend the primaries. IN the Il
,ring; see that you send democrats who =
e opposed to prohibition to the county
invention, and from the county conven-
on to the state convention, and let as see
lat our state convention pronounces in
Ie strongest words in the English Ian
mage the opposition of our party to pro-
bitiOn and every species of paternal
Dvernm ent. When this is done and
declares prohibition heresy,
will cease to trouble us in Texas.
have no desire to ostracize any man or
read any man out of the democratic
arty, but intend to do everything that 1
n to ostracize prohibition and read it out
the party. l intend to urge on our
'xt state convention to write prohibition
1t of tho party and the democratic
tiers tn read IL ont ~ tbo oIo.+;o. MI.